History and Approaches
In THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Behavior is anything you do that can be observed. Mental processes are your
internal experiences such as thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions.
Scientific study involves systematic collection and examination of data (empiri-
cal evidence) to support or disprove hypotheses (predictions) rather than
depending on common sense.
Psychology has a long past, but a short history as a science. Although
people have thought about their own behavior for thousands of years, the
thinking was not done in an organized and scientific manner.
This chapter looks at highlights in the development of the science of
psychology and its conceptual approaches.Key Ideas
✪ Roots of psychology are in philosophy and physiology/biology.
✪ Structuralism and Functionalism—Schools of Psychology
✪ Behavioral approach
✪ Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approach
✪ Humanistic approach
✪ Biological approach
✪ Evolutionary approach
✪ Cognitive approach
✪ Sociocultural approach
✪ Biopsychosocial model
✪ Domains of psychologyCHAPTER
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KEY IDEA